Fantasmic!

Sunset Boulevard
Disney's Hollywood Studios

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 -- Disney has announced
that it will be adding 1,000 seats to the Fantasmic!
Hollywood Hills Amphitheater.

Almost
at the end of Hollywood Boulevard, off to the right, is the
entrance to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, home to the night-time
spectacle known as Fantasmic! It's Mickey Mouse's dream-made-real,
using lights and lasers, fireworks, and water animation set to a delightful
score of famous Disney movie music.

ATTRACTION

Pre-Show
- Because of this show's enormous popularity, it's best to claim a
seat early - during busy times, as much as an hour or more before
showtime! Music is piped in to help you while away the wait.

FANTASMIC! begins its 25-minute extravaganza with a dreaming
Mickey Mouse on a darkened island. Mickey acts as a conductor
as music fills the air and the waters surrounding the island begin
to dance. Suddenly, screens of water emerge and a multitude of images
are displayed upon them: Sorcerer Mickey in his famous "Sorcerer's
Apprentice" scene from Fantasia, Simba and
Nala romping from the Lion King, and the undersea creatures
from The Little Mermaid.

The
mood shifts when a frantic Jiminy Cricket becomes trapped in
a large bubble, then is pursued by Monstro the whale. Monstro
lifts himself out of the water and lands with a crash, which splashes
unsuspecting front row Fantasmic! guests with real water!

The waters calm, but a cannon blast erupts. Live characters re-enact
battle scenes from the movie Pocahontas, followed by John
Smith and the Native American heroine dancing to Colors of
the Wind.

Mickey's dream continues on its nightmarish journey as eerie music
begins and the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs concocts a spell amidst pyrotechnics and other special
effects. She invokes some of the most infamous Disney Villains: Ursula,
Cruella de Vil, Scar, Frollo, Jafar, Maleficent and Hades each
make an appearance, cackling menacingly. But these bad guys are no
match for Mickey - not even Jafar, who turns into a writhing
black cobra.

Maleficent unexpectedly transforms into a 40-foot-tall fire-breathing
dragon who sets the waters ablaze - guests as far as half-way back
in the theater can feel the heat! Mickey manages to create a wall
of water around the island, smothering the flames and defeating the
dragon.

Finally,
a celebratory atmosphere prevails amid a flurry of fireworks. Beloved
Disney characters glide past the audience aboard the Steamboat
Willie River Boat, as Fantasmic! concludes with a triumphant
Mickey rejoicing at his victory over evil.

Mini-Review:
Having seen Fantasmic! about a half-dozen times now, I have to admit
that I like it better with each viewing. If you're uncertain about whether
you'll enjoy it, I'd recommend that you see it at least one time. But,
in my opinion, it's *not* worth waiting hours for, especially if you
have antsy young children who may be frightened by the dark and all
the villains. The first 10 minutes or so of the show are very good and
so are the last few minutes -- the Pocahontas segment in the middle,
though, really doesn't seem to fit the overall villains theme. The Jafar/snake
and the Malificent/dragon are very impressive technically, but I think
they overdo showing all the villains (as I overheard someone
say, "is there a villain they *didn't* include?"), and I think they
overuse the gimmick of projection on the water screen. Overall, though,
it's definitely worth seeing for yourself.

TOURING TIPS

Fantasmic!
is a 25-minute show, usually presented two
or three nights a week with times varying based on
park hours. During the holidays and peak season, the
show is often performed twice. If possible, take advantage
of the second
showing of Fantasmic! It's typically much
easier to get a seat.

Due to its popularity, you should arrive at the amphitheater at least
one hour before showtime, particularly during busy seasons. Doors
usually open about two hours before the first show of the night. There
are concession stands located at the rear of the Fantasmic! amphitheater
- many folks choose to buy food there and eat dinner in their seats
while they wait for Fantasmic! to begin.

Several restaurants (currently Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Melrose's
Ristorante Italiano and Hollywood & Vine) offer a Fantasmic!
Dinner Packageat no extra charge. Diners at these restaurants
receive a pass that guarantees them a seat at one of the Fantasmic! performances,
as long as they enter the theater 1/2-hour prior to show time. For details
on this package, read the Fantasmic Dinner
Package FAQ. This plan works really well, especially if
you don't like to waste time waiting to see a show or have children who
would have trouble sitting in one place for an hour or more before the
show started.

Guests seated toward the front of the amphitheater are likely to get
wet from the mist sprayed by the water screens and from splashes
during several scenes. Sitting a dozen or so rows back is probably a
wise choice if you prefer to stay dry.

Although many people try to sit in the center of the amphitheater, there
really isn't a bad seat in the house. The action is staged all
around the island, so you're pretty much guaranteed a good view no matter
where you sit.

Fantasmic! takes place during the night-time hours and is very
dark in some places. Some scenes, especially those including the
giant snake and the black dragon, may be too intense for
children and some adults.

Fantasmic! is wheelchair/ECV accessible. Guests using
wheelchairs or ECVs have the option of wheelchair seating on the bottom
row or the top row of the theater. There are NO center seating areas
available for wheelchair guests. I would recommend the upper area to
sit in. There is wheelchair parking and seats for your party. I have
heard some guests tell me they were not able to sit with/near the person
in the wheelchair. I believe it has a lot to do with how early you are
seated. You will not want to move your wheelchair once you get situated
-- it's just too crowded. See Tips for Touring
Disney's Hollywood Studios in an ECV for more information.

Guests with strollers must park them in the designated stroller
parking area on the right before you enter the amphitheater proper.
Retrieving strollers after the show is a bit confusing and time-consuming
-- patience is definitely called for here.

KIDS AND CHARACTERS

During
the show, kids will be delighted to see Mickey in a few different
costumes, in a tuxedo, as the Brave Little Tailor, and of course
as Sorcerer Mickey. Some favorite Disney character couples --
Cinderella and Prince Charming, Belle and Beast, Aladdin
and Jasmine, Ariel and Eric, and Snow White and her Prince
-- drift by on brightly lit floats during one dreamy sequence. During
the finale, a parade of characters sail by, ranging from classic favorites
like Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Geppetto and Pinocchio, to more
recent faces such as Philoctetes and Mulan.

As mentioned above, the theater can be very dark -- parents of
children with a fear of the dark should be aware of this. In addition,
there are lots of people crowded into the theater -- please be sure
to keep your children near to you at all times.

Check your daily Times Guide for times and locations of other
Character Meet and Greet opportunities.

DINING

There
is a concession area at the back of the Fantasmic! amphitheater
that sells sandwiches and soft drinks. Also, vendors walk around selling
sodas, pretzels and popcorn, as well as souvenirs, throughout the amphitheater
prior to the show.

SHOPPING

There is
a Villains cart as you exit the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater
that sells Fantasmic! and Villains merchandise, including light
sticks, stickers, pins, postcards and other souvenirs. In addition,
the Beverly Sunset shop on Sunset Boulevard features even
more Villains and Fantasmic! merchandise, including clothing and the
Fantasmic! CD.

INTERESTING FACTS

Fantasmic!
premiered at Disneyland in California in 1992. It debuted at
the Disney's Hollywood Studios in October 1998.

The Disney's Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic! features
some unique elements, incorporating scenes from recent animated releases
such as "The Lion King," "Pocahontas," "Hercules" and "Mulan."

The
Fantasmic! island features a 59-foot man-made mountain, making
it the fourth highest "mountain" at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The moat surrounding the Fantasmic! island holds 1.9-million-gallons.

The water screens in Fantasmic! pump 2,400 gallons of water into the
air every minute and, if called upon, could fill the 500,000-gallon
Earffel Tower in less than three hours.

Fantasmic! features 50 performers. In the grand finale, at least
26 Disney characters cruise across the moat aboard an 80-foot replica
of the Steamboat Willie boat.

In the scene where the villainous Jafar turns into a cobra, he
is 100 feet long and 16 feet high. The mechanical Maleficent dragon
in the climactic good vs. evil scene weighs an astonishing 32,000
lbs.